It's What They Do
by neyceyj99
Summary: Being there for each other. It's what they do. My first story. Please be kind and PLEASE review.
1. Chapter 1

Jennifer Johnson

Creative Writing

March 30, 2011

It's What They Do

Calleigh Duquesne pulled her silver sports car into a small gas station and killed the engine. She closed her eyes wearily and took a few deep breaths, gripping the leather steering wheel as she tried to mentally prepare herself for the next few days.

Get it together, girl, she chided herself. You are the top ballistics expert in the entire state of Florida. You go head to head with Miami's most dangerous criminals on a daily basis. You can do this. It's only four days.

Calleigh was a woman who prided herself on her ability to keep calm under pressure. She hardly ever panicked and she could usually keep her emotions under control in any given situation. But right now, she was nervous as hell.

Calleigh had been driving for hours and she was currently heading towards the last place on earth she wanted to be - Darnell, Louisiana...and her family. The last time she had occupied the same space with more than one Walker, or in the case of her dad's side of the family, Duquesne, was when she was seventeen and heading straight out the door to Tulane.

It wasn't that she didn't love her family. She did. She was just used to loving them in small doses. Now she was facing four days at her mother's house along with her sisters and on top of that, a Walker family reunion.

Normally when her mother tried to get her to come home for family functions, she made up some excuse involving work and murderers, but this time, Viviane Walker didn't try guilting her into making the trip, or bribing her in some way. Hell, during the entire conversation, not once did her mother even make a backhanded remark against Calleigh's career choice. She had simply said that she missed her daughter, and asked her to please come to the reunion. It was this sincerity that made Calleigh agree to make the trip home in the first place.

What was she thinking? Calleigh sighed and let her head fall back against the headrest of her seat. This was going to be a nightmare. If she had only said yes to Eric when he offered to come with her. She had wanted to. God knows she had wanted to, but she didn't know if accepting would complicate their relationship, or lack thereof, even more than it already was.

For months, Calleigh and Eric's relationship had been strained to say the least. They had been very distant with each other lately since the Halon gas incident at the lab. Calleigh couldn't figure it out. For most people, nearly losing the person you love most in the world should bring you closer to that person, not cause you to pull away.

Calleigh's phone began to vibrate on the seat next to her letting her know she had a text message. She reached over and picked it up looking at the screen.

_cal, stop stressing. its only 4 days. u'll b fine... u packed guns right? :), E_

Calleigh rolled her eyes and smiled. Even from Miami, Eric could make her feel better. What the hell were they doing with all this back and forth stuff? It was her fault she was sitting in her car alone right now. Eric could be with her right now, supporting her, helping her face her family and this god-forsaken town she was heading towards.

Calleigh sighed again and picked up her phone.

_i've shot them all already, come quick with a getaway car. :), C_

She wished he would come with a getaway car. That way she wouldn't have to face her family at all. On the other hand, she could always say she was called in on a last minute case and couldn't make it. She could turn around right now and head back to Miami.

She could head back to Eric. Maybe they could spend the next four days working on their mess of a relationship. They could talk. Calleigh could tell him how sorry she was for distancing herself from him because if she was being honest with herself, it was really her that was doing the distancing, not Eric. It was her that was so scared of her feelings for Eric that instead of telling him how much she loved him, she pushed him away.

God, she felt like such a mess.

Her phone vibrated again.

_the rental place only had a truck, that ok?, E_

Calleigh didn't know where he was going with this. Had she missed something?

_What?, C_

She sent the message and then a tap on her window made her jump. She looked over and there he was standing there with his dark, handsome self, giving her that lopsided grin and peering down at her with those deep brown eyes of his.

Calleigh's eyes widened and she couldn't help but smile as she opened her car door and stepped out.

"Hey," Eric said simply, as he smiled back at her. As usual, knowing exactly what she needed at that moment, he reached out for her and without hesitating, she stepped into his familiar embrace and rested her head on his broad chest letting out a breath of relief.

Even in her signature four-inch heels, the top of Calleigh's head only reached just under Eric's chin. Regardless of their height difference, Calleigh loved they way they always seemed to fit perfectly together. She stood quietly enjoying the comfort of his embrace for a few moments before he spoke.

"I know you told me you were fine and that you could do this by yourself," Eric said, "but I know you, Cal. You are terrified of your family."

Calleigh pulled back and looked up at Eric, a protest already on her lips. Eric looked back down at her, one eyebrow raised. Calleigh sighed and rolled her lips. She snuggled back into his arms and tried to think of a way to tell him how grateful she was that he was here. Wait, how was he here? Did he follow her all the way from Miami? No, she would have noticed someone following her.

She looked up at him again confusion written all over her face. "Eric, how did you even know I was here?" she asked shifting her eyes towards the tiny, run down building that they were currently standing in front of.

"Cal, we're cops," said Eric, giving her a teasing look, "GPS?"

Calleigh rolled her eyes again. "Eric," she began, struggling to choose the right words. She wanted to tell him how sorry she was. She wanted to let him know that he hadn't done anything wrong, that it was just her letting her fear of falling too hard come between them recently.

"I'm really sorr - ," she began.

"It's ok; we don't have to do this now. You've got enough to deal with. Let's just get through the next four days and we'll talk when we get home, ok?"

Calleigh nodded her head slowly. She felt so lucky to have someone like Eric in her life. Just having him close gave her the strength she needed to face her family, and all the past heartaches that would inevitably rear their ugly heads during this trip. And judging by the fact that that he had followed her all the way to Louisiana, she hadn't screwed up so bad that he wouldn't forgive her.

With one last squeeze, Eric released her from his arms, his hand trailing up her arm to cup the side of her face gently. He stroked her cheek with his thumb and she leaned into his hand and smiled softly up at him.

"Thanks, Eric. Thanks for being here." she said.

"It's what we do, right?" he replied.

Calleigh smiled up at him, "Yeah, I guess so."

Eric kissed her forehead and turned back towards his rental truck. Calleigh got back into her car and restarted the engine with a smile on her face, knowing that she wasn't facing this situation alone.


	2. Chapter 2

Calleigh turned off of the country road and onto the long dirt road that lead back to her mother's house. Tall live oaks lined the sides of the road stretching up and connecting overhead to form an archway. The Louisiana sun peaked through the branches casting bright shapes that glittered on the hood of Calleigh's car and on the path ahead. She could feel the knots forming in her stomach as the house came into view. It still looked the same; tall, stark white against the clear, blue, southern sky, pristine yellow rose bushes lining the front. She could have been looking at the cover of "Southern Living." Her mother stood on the wide porch looking out towards her, her hand shading the bright sun from her eyes.

Calleigh chewed the inside of her cheek and checked her rearview mirror to make sure Eric was still following her as she pulled her car up to the house. Her mother waved to her from the porch. Calleigh put a brave smile on her face. She killed the engine, got out of the car and walked up the front porch steps toward her mother.

"Hi, Mama," she said.

Calleigh hugged her mother for the first time in over five years.

"Oh, baby, let me get a good look at you." Her mother said, stepping back and smiling from ear to ear. "Sweetheart, do they have food in Miami? Look how thin you are. Oh, well, I guess you do get a lot of exercise in your line of work, though. Are you hungry? "

Calleigh tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "I'm fine, Mama, really."

"Well, let me get you some lemonade or sweet tea or something." She went on, "Baby, who is this? Is he here with you? You didn't tell me you were bringing a guest."

Calleigh turned around as Eric was coming up the steps "Oh, Mama, I'm sorry, this is Eric. He's my…we…we work together." She stuttered.

Eric shook her mother's hand and smiled warmly. "Hello, it's nice to finally meet you."

"It's a pleasure to meet you too, dear. Why don't y'all have a seat? She said, pushing them both toward a white wicker bench where they sat. "I'll go get us some sweet tea and we can catch up out here on the porch. Eric, sugar, do you drink tea or would you like some lemonade?" she asked.

"Tea would be great, thank you." He said, smiling at her.

When her mother went back in the house Calleigh released a huge breath that she hadn't realized she had been holding. She leaned over, both elbows on her knees and her face in her hands.

"What in the hell am I doing? "

Eric chuckled and rubbed soothing circles on her back, "Calleigh, calm down. She seems nice."

"Nice," Calleigh looked up incredulously, "That's how it starts, Eric. She's all sugar and charm at first…you'll see. And wait till the rest of them get here. I'm gonna have to hide those truck keys from you to keep you from running for the hills. You just wait."

Eric shook his head and grinned at Calleigh. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her on her forehead. With four days ahead of them, he hoped she wouldn't prove him wrong.


End file.
